On the morning of Thursday, May 22, detained Columbia graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil had an immigration hearing after US officials allowed him to meet his 1-month-old son, Deen, for the first time. As Khalil testified in an immigration court in rural Jena, Louisiana, dozens rallied outside of the immigration detention and court building, protesting against the continued detention of Khalil. Khalil has been in ICE custody since he was arrested outside of his own home in New York City on March 8.
In the months since his arrest, support for Khalil’s release has not abated, with supporters rallying on Thursday in cities across the country, including New York City. And in the sleepy rural town of Jena, in the heart of Louisiana, hundreds of protesters from across the South marched to the ICE facility in Jena to denounce Khalil’s imprisonment.
Organizers have been rallying outside of the facility in Jena semi-regularly since Khalil’s detention, and some have told Peoples Dispatch that the remote location of the facility is “an attempt to separate him from any kind of legal support, political support, just to isolate him as much as possible.” But Thursday’s demonstration was the largest yet, joined by a contingent of activists from organizations such as the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Jewish Voice for Peace who traveled from across Texas and Louisiana. Marchers walked down the tree-lined roads of Jena, holding a banner that read “ICE off campuses, Houston demands the release of Mahmoud Khalil, hands off our students”. Others carried signs and banners with slogans including “Free Mahmoud Khalil” and “Abolish ICE”.
During the hearing, Khalil said that his situation “is truly unlawful,” but asserted his belief that “justice will prevail.” Immigration Judge Jamee Comans, who has ruled against Khalil in the past, denied the request to terminate Khalil’s deportation proceedings. In his testimony, Khalil claimed that the US government has “mislabeled me a terrorist, a terrorist sympathizer, which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Dr. Noor Abdalla, Khalil’s wife, who has been at the forefront of the movement for his release, addressed the crowd of demonstrators in Jena. “We just walked out of the court room and it was so, so heartwarming to hear your guys’ voices and all of the support,” Abdalla told the crowd, to roaring cheers. “The support means so much to me and Mahmoud. Really, that’s what’s keeping us going, that people are standing with us and people are coming out, and you guys are showing up. And we really just thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
